Oprah Winfrey: President Barack Obama is disrespected because he’s black

I'm so tired of the race card and I think it's been so overplayed that it's actually creating race problems instead of solving them. People like her and other democrats don't actually believe that a person would have the gall to dislike the president for any other reason other than the half-color of his skin. It wouldn't dare be because he's by far the worst president of my lifetime. It wouldn't dare be because of the increase in taxes, obamacare, immigration "reform" ideas, illegal misuse of powers, Benghazi, IRS Scandal, NSA Scandal, poor economy--still or any other problem.

That remained true when she sat down with BBC's Will Gompertz and detailed how no one is above the racism that still exists in this world today … not even the President of the United States, Barack Obama.

"There's a level of disrespect for the office that occurs in some cases and maybe even many cases because he's African American," she said. "There's no question about that. And it's the kind of thing no one ever says, but everybody's thinking it."

...blah blah blah

"There are still generations of older people who were born and breed and marinated in that prejudice and racism and they just have to die," she added.

There's no question that it exists; some people will definitely hold the President's race against him. The question is how widespread it is, and that's one that can't be determined very well by just polling. People who are racist against the President will insist (sometimes sincerely) that they aren't because that's not a label most people want to affix to themselves; meanwhile, people who are super-sensitive to it will insist that the racism is perhaps more widespread than it really is. So knowing that it's out there, but not exactly to what degree, the trick is to combat it (through education, ideally), without turning it into a national witch-hunt.

I don't have time to read the whole article, but the main way in which I disagree with Oprah in that short blurb in the OP is when she says it's disrespect for the office. It's not, most of the time; it's disrespect for the man. The next President, if they're white, won't have any residual effects.

There are a lot more people who wouldn't have been as inclined to vote for him if he'd been some white guy from the suburbs - or who are still sticking by him now because of his race - than there are who are opposing him because of his race. I don't think anyone can make the argument that his race was not a huge advantage for him in 2008 and 2012.

If he had been a successful president, he'd be inoculated from this.

His approval rating was 39% last I saw, but we know that among minorities his approval is much higher, and among blacks it's always above 90%. Where would he be in the approval ratings if he looked like Mitch McConnell?

There are a lot more people who wouldn't have been as inclined to vote for him if he'd been some white guy from the suburbs - or who are still sticking by him now because of his race - than there are who are opposing him because of his race. I don't think anyone can make the argument that his race was not a huge advantage for him in 2008 and 2012.

If he had been a successful president, he'd be inoculated from this.

His approval rating was 39% last I saw, but we know that among minorities his approval is much higher, and among blacks it's always above 90%. Where would he be in the approval ratings if he looked like Mitch McConnell?

There's no question that it exists; some people will definitely hold the President's race against him. The question is how widespread it is, and that's one that can't be determined very well by just polling. People who are racist against the President will insist (sometimes sincerely) that they aren't because that's not a label most people want to affix to themselves; meanwhile, people who are super-sensitive to it will insist that the racism is perhaps more widespread than it really is. So knowing that it's out there, but not exactly to what degree, the trick is to combat it (through education, ideally), without turning it into a national witch-hunt.

I don't have time to read the whole article, but the main way in which I disagree with Oprah in that short blurb in the OP is when she says it's disrespect for the office. It's not, most of the time; it's disrespect for the man. The next President, if they're white, won't have any residual effects.

I agree with this.

I'm not sure what type of education you're talking about, but I don't think that people who jump to the conclusion that disparaging comments about this President are based in race rather than competence, ideology, or other non-racial factors ought to be a part of it. I agree with jaa1025 that having an itchy race card trigger finger is counterproductive to race relations. (I'm not sure that's what Oprah is doing here though as it appears she might be saying something more like what you said).

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"I'll see you guys in New York." ISIS Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to US military personnel upon his release from US custody at Camp Bucca in Iraq during Obama's first year in office.

There are a lot more people who wouldn't have been as inclined to vote for him if he'd been some white guy from the suburbs - or who are still sticking by him now because of his race - than there are who are opposing him because of his race. I don't think anyone can make the argument that his race was not a huge advantage for him in 2008 and 2012.

If he had been a successful president, he'd be inoculated from this.

I think this is probably true too.

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"I'll see you guys in New York." ISIS Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to US military personnel upon his release from US custody at Camp Bucca in Iraq during Obama's first year in office.

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You ever notice how on stop lights, green means go, but on a banana it's the opposite? Yellow means "go ahead." Green means "slow down." And red means "Where the **** did you get that banana?"